ARGOS NAME ED PHILION AND EDDIE BROWN TO DEFENSIVE COACHING STAFF

MISSISSAUGA – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club is pleased to announce that former CFL All-Star Ed Philion and Eddie Brown have joined theircoaching staff as Defensive Line Coach and Defensive Backs Coach, respectively.

Commented Toronto Argonauts Head Coach, Scott Milanovich, “Ed Philion brings a wealth of knowledge to our coaching staff having played in the CFL for eight seasons. The same toughness and energy he displayed as a player will serve as his foundation as a coach. Ed has history working with Chris Jones as both a player in Montreal and as a guest coach with Calgary. We’re excited to have him join our staff.”

Milanovich continued, “I worked with Eddie Brown at Mansfield University in 2005. His intensity, work ethic and ability to relate to the players was immediately evident. Eddie has played and coached on both sides of the ball and his history as a defensive back in the Arena Football League gives him a unique knowledge of the challenges that come with defending receivers that are able to utilize the waggle.”

As a player, EdPhilion was a mainstay on the Montreal Alouettes’ defensive line earning four all-star nominations in consecutive seasons beginning in 2003. In 127 career CFL games, Philion totalled four fumble recoveries, 36 sacks and two interceptions while playing in five Grey Cup games, including a win in 2002. Before joining the Als in 1999, Philion spent time in the NFL withthe Buffalo Bills as well as a season playing in NFL Europe. Following his retirement, he accepted a position as Colour Commentator on CJAD radio in Montreal for Als gamesand became a partner in an all-inclusive football store called Footbestbased in Blainville, Quebec. In joining the Argonauts, Philion has been reunited with Defensive Coordinator Chris Jones who coached him from 2002 to 2006 in Montreal, then invited him to be a guest coach with the Calgary Stampeders in 2010.

Ed Philion commented, “After six years of not being on the sidelines, I was anxious to get back into the day-to-day of football that coaching offers. Having a relationship with Chris Jones as a player, and working with him as a guest coach, made the decision to get back into the game that much more attractive. I also believe Scott Milanovich and the rest of the coaching staff are building an organization that expects to win Grey Cups year in and year out and I wanted to be a part of that.”

For the past six years, Eddie Brown has been coaching for the Grand Valley State University Lakers in the GLIAC Conference of the NCAA as a Defensive Line Coach, Defensive Backs Coach, and for four seasons as the Running Backs Coach. While coaching the Lakers’ defensive backs in 2009, Brown’s defence finished in the top 20 in the nation in most key defensive categories. He began his coaching career in 2005 at Mansfield University as an assistant coach where he first met Argonauts’ Head Coach Scott Milanovich. Brown had a stellar 13-year career in the Arena Football League as a defensive back/wide receiver where he won three Arena Bowl championships with the Tampa Bay Storm in 1991, 1993 and 1995.

Eddie Brown remarked, “I’m so excited to join the Toronto Argonauts coaching staff. This is a great opportunity for me and my family and I’m really looking forward to the challenge. I worked with Scott Milanovich at Mansfield University and I know him to be both a quality coach and a quality person. I’m also excited to learn from Chris Jones and work alongside the defensive coaches to help build on their Grey Cup victory. I would like to thank the coaching staff at Grand Valley State for my years there and for allowing me to pursue this opportunity.”